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Plenty of unknowns were answered today as players began their journeys at THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT. How would Ryder Cup players fare in their season debut? Would the Tom Fazio design show any teeth? Can two weeks in Las Vegas actually be beneficial for one’s golf game?
The answer to the latter would be yes for Robert Streb as the two-time winner on the PGA Tour arrived to The Summit Club off a strong finish at TPC Summerlin. Posting +5.5 Strokes Gained: Putting last week at the Shriners Children’s Open, the 34-year-old finished in a tie for 27th.
Carrying the momentum down the street, Streb began The CJ CUP with a near spotless round of 11-under 61. Racing out of the gates, the former Kansas State Wildcat carded five birdies and an eagle in his opening seven holes. Turning in 7-under 29, he would tack on five more birdies against a lone bogey on the difficult par-3 11th.
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Much to our dismay, the effort Keith Mitchell turned in during the afternoon hours fell one-stroke short of Streb. Having had the former Georgia Bulldog in our first-round leader selections, it was another near-miss on our end unfortunately. Carding 10 birdies, Mitchell turned in a round of 10-under 62, tying the low round of his PGA Tour career.
Despite the impressive rounds courtesy of Streb and Mitchell, it is Viktor Hovland who is the favorite at PointsBet Sportsbook heading into the second round. Standing four-strokes off the lead, the young Norwegian is listed at +800. Looking fantastic on Thursday, it was Hovland’s short-game carrying the load, surprising some given his performance last week at the Shriners Children’s Open.
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Updated Odds to Win (Odds Via PointsBet):
+800: Viktor Hovland
+1200: Keith Mitchell
+1400: Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Robert Streb
+1600: Scottie Scheffler
+1800: Cameron Smith
+2200: Brooks Koepka, Sam Burns
+2500: Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy, Talor Gooch
+2800: Aaron Wise
+3300: Harry Higgs, Joaquin Niemann, Sergio Garcia
+4000: Hudson Swafford, Sungjae Im, Jhonattan Vegas, Justin Thomas, Max Homa, Tony Finau
+5000: Harold Varner III, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey, Xander Schauffele
Round 2 Plays (Odds Via PointsBet):
Max Homa (+135) over Abraham Ancer and Sung Kang
I am one who usually shies away from favorites in three-balls, but I believe Homa got the very least out of his round on Thursday. Finishing the day ranked 12th in SG: Tee-to-Green, the winner of the Fortinet Championship was unable to find his touch on the greens.
Possessing such a quality iron game, Homa gave himself plenty of scoring opportunities, hitting 16 of 18 greens in regulation. Unfortunately, for a player who has made a living on par-5’s, he was unable to dismantle some of Summit’s most accessible holes. Going 1-under on those four holes, I expect Homa to continue to play relatively mistake-free golf – as he did today – but improve on those scoring holes thus improving on his 5-under effort.
Despite this, Homa was still able to get the better of Ancer who shot 2-under and Kang who shot 1-under. Today marked the third consecutive round in which the Mexican has struggled with his iron-play. Typically, steady in said department, I have concerns given Ancer’s start to his season. As for Kang, he is known to start fast in the first-round only to fall off. While he did not have quite the start compared to last week, there was nothing from his round today to suggest there will be fireworks on Friday.
Cameron Smith (+137) over Harris English and Paul Casey
In what is quickly turning into a birdie-fest, few are more well-suited for this scenario than Smith. One of the best putters in professional golf, the Australian actually lost strokes to the field with his flat stick in the first-round. That was all he did wrong on Thursday as Smith ranked eighth in SG: Tee-to-Green on the shoulders of his iron-play and short-game.
While he did not possess his best stuff on the greens, Smith was still able to turn in a round of 6-under. Coming off a 2020-2021 season that saw him nearly come through at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and The Northern Trust, his strong play has clearly carried over into the new season.
The same can’t be said for English, who like Ancer, turned in yet another poor round. Losing strokes off-the-tee, on approach, and putting, just about nothing went right for the U.S Ryder Cup team member. His European counterpart, Casey, was able to piece together a round of 4-under, but not in a way I am comfortable backing tomorrow.
Narrowly losing strokes tee-to-green, Casey’s iron play held him back on Thursday. Relying primarily on his putting, if that club fails to cooperate in the second round, he could be in for a long day, giving way for Smith in this one.
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